Q: Last year I was diagnosed with prediabetes. My doctor told me that once you’re impaired, there’s no way to get back to normal, but I saw people on “The Dr. Oz Show” who said they were free of diabetes after working out and making other healthy lifestyle changes. Can you really reverse prediabetes? — AnonymousA: Yes, you can. (At least in studies, 98.5 percent of people with type 2 diabetes can.) Normally, insulin shuttles sugar in your blood into your cells for fuel pretty effortlessly. But having prediabetes means this system is off kilter. As a result, some extra sugar roams your bloodstream like an unruly mob, potentially damaging your heart and circulatory system.

With prediabetes, your blood sugar levels are higher than they should be, but not elevated enough for a diagnosis of full-blown diabetes. But you’re headed there: You may be 15 times more likely to develop it than people with normal sugar levels.

When you have prediabetes, it’s like you’re standing with your toes on the rim of the Grand Canyon. Take a step forward, and you’re in freefall. Take a few steps backward, and you’re safe.

You may always be inching toward the edge, but type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease: You can always watch where you’re stepping. By losing a mere 7 percent of your body weight, avoiding added simple sugars, added syrups, any grain but 100 percent whole grains, saturated and trans fats, and exercising only 150 minutes a week, you can bring your blood sugar levels back to normal.

If you’re normal, you’re, well, normal. You technically don’t have prediabetes, though you’ll always have the genes for it and will be at risk. But you’ll never have to have the disease or its consequences.

A: Well, a friend of ours would answer the weight loss that comes from a few days of vomiting and diarrhea. Drinking raw, unpasteurized milk is like playing Russian roulette.

Somewhere down the line, you’re going to get a bellyful of bacteria, like salmonella, listeria and e.coli, which will put you in a world of hurt. And the elderly, small children and people with impaired immune systems could face life-threatening complications.

One reason some folks tout raw milk with cultlike fervor is that pasteurization removes some of the friendly bacteria, such as lactobacillus. You can get that in probiotic capsules (look for ones, such as Digestive Advantage, Sustinex or Affirm, that contain them in “spore form”). These survive your stomach acid.

Pasteurization may reduce vitamins B-1, B-6, B-12 and C in cow’s milk. But these benefits don’t outweigh the risks. If you want a “better” milk that is pasteurized, consider dairy products from grass-fed cows. Grass improves the fatty acid ratio in their milk — equalizing omega-6s and omega-3s to levels known to raise healthy (HDL) cholesterol, reduce inflammation and lower triglycerides.

Q: I’m so glad I’m asking this via e-mail because it’s embarrassing. I’m a 61-year-old woman, and I pass gas a lot when I walk. I eat a lot of high-fiber foods, but I wonder if this is happening because of lack of muscle tone. It’s really annoying, especially if I want to walk with other people. What can I do? — Laura, DetroitA: Well, you can always blame the dog. Actually, most people pass gas 14 to 23 times a day, although women usually admit to only once or twice a year. (Rim shot, please.)

Now, we’ll get serious. It could be the fiber. Fiber is good for you, so don’t stop eating it. But your body does a stinky job — literally — of digesting it. In fact, it doesn’t.

When fiber sails through your intestines, the friendly bacteria that digest food try to break it down, and as a result produce hydrogen, carbon dioxide and, in about a third of people, methane, the latter of which produces a particularly odoriferous toot.

The over-the-counter product called Beano can help reduce gas brought on by foods such as beans and broccoli. Check the other foods you eat, too: Some people develop gas because they lack the enzyme to digest dairy products; others have a tough time with sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and maltitol; and starches (except for rice) can make you as gassy as an OPEC nation.

Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen are authors of “YOU: On a Diet.” Submit questions at realage.com.

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